Know Thy Foe: Baylor Bears
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
The UCF Knights (4-3, 1-3 Big 12) are back from their second bye week of the season and begin the November home stretch with a road game against the Baylor Bears (4-4, 2-3 Big 12).
Kickoff is set for noon ET and the game will be televised on ESPNU.
Let’s learn about the Bears:
- Gameday Info
- Injury Report
- Series
- About the Bears
- Head Coach: Dave Aranda
- Baylor Offense
- Baylor Defense
- The More You Know…
Gameday Info
- Kickoff: Saturday, November 1, noon ET
- Location: McLane Stadium — Waco, Texas
- TV: ESPNU
- Spread: UCF -3.5 (ESPN)
- Weather Forecast: 71°, cloudy with a chance of storms
Injury Report
Series
Leader: Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: 2023 — Baylor 36, UCF 35
Both meetings between Baylor and UCF have been eventful.
Meeting #1 was the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day of 2014. It was a great day:
The first meeting as Big 12 conference mates, in UCF’s first-ever Big 12 home game, was less of a great day:
About the Bears
Record: 4-4, 2-3 in the Big 12
Last Week: Lost to #21 Cincinnati 41-20
The Bears are in a weird spot at 4-4. They’ve beaten K-State and SMU, lost by one score to Arizona State and at TCU, and last week were within one possession of Cincinnati in the fourth before the Bearcats put them away.
Head Coach: Dave Aranda
Dave Aranda is firmly on the hot seat in Waco. After a Big 12 title in 2021, the Bears have finished above .500 only once since, just last year. His career record in six seasons is 35-34.
A loss at home to UCF could raise the temperature underneath him even more.
Baylor Offense
| Big 12 Rank | FBS Rank | Baylor Offense | Stat | UCF Defense | FBS Rank | Big 12 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th | 34th | 34.3 | Points/Game | 17.1 | 16th | 4th |
| 3rd | 22nd | 458.6 | Total Yards/Game | 292.1 | 16th | 3rd |
| 13th | 89th | 140.3 | Rush Yards/Game | 145.9 | 71st | 10th |
| 1st | 5th | 318.4 | Pass Yards/Game | 146.3 | 6th | 1st |
| Last | 124th | 16 | Turnovers | 8 | 84th | 11th |
Key Player: QB Sawyer Robertson
Robertson is the nation’s leading passer with over 2,500 yards through the air, 23 TDs and 7 picks.
He’s facing the Big 12’s best pass defense in UCF, which is giving up under 150 yards per game through the air. Something’s gotta give.
Other Guys to Watch
- #30 RBBryson Washington — 603 yards, 6 TDs, 1,000-yard season last year
- #34 WR Josh Cameron — 44 catches, 576 yards, 4 TD, 1,940 yards receiving in four years at Baylor
Baylor Defense
| Big 12 Rank | FBS Rank | Baylor Defense | Stat | UCF Offense | FBS Rank | Big 12 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15th | 117th | 32.6 | Points/Game | 34.7 | 54th | 9th |
| 13th | 101st | 403.1 | Total Yards/Game | 445.1 | 26th | 4th |
| 15th | 116th | 190.5 | Rush Yards/Game | 208.1 | 20th | 3rd |
| 9th | 57th | 212.6 | Pass Yards/Game | 237.0 | 63rd | 8th |
| 14th | 104th | 7 | Turnovers | 8 | 36th | 5th |
Key Player: LB Keaton Thomas
Thonas leads the Bears with 71 tackles after recording more than 100 last year. However, he hasn’t been much of a factor in forcing turnovers — something Dave Aranda’s defense has struggled with.
Other Guys to Watch
- #0 DL Jackie Marshall — 23 tackles, two sacks
- #38 S Jacob Redding — 27 tackles, two INTs
The More You Know…
- UCF and Baylor have never met in Waco.
- Baylor’s McLane Stadium was built in 2014 and seats about the same capacity as the Bounce House at just over 45,000.
- Baylor has never averaged fewer than 41,000 fans per game since moving into McLane.
- Sawyer Robertson is the cousin of Jarrett Stidham, who was Auburn’s QB when UCF beat the Tigers to go undefeated in 2017.
- Chip Gaines of Magnolia fame went out for baseball at Baylor but got cut.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos